Machine for cutting vegetables into strips



y 4 1954 c. A. BROWN ETAL 2,677,403

MACHINE FOR CUTTING VEGETABLES INTO STRIPS Filed Dec. 12, 1950 4 sneaks-sheet 1 CLARENCE A. BROWN QTTORNEY May 4, 1954 c. A. BROWN ETAL T 2,577,403

MACHINE FOR CUTTING VEGETABLES INTO STRIPS Filed Dec. 12, 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 F14 Fl .5 40 25a 4 54 (57 CLARENCE A. BRowN CLARENCE N. BROWN INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY y 1954 c. A. BROWN ETAL 2,677,403

MACHINE FOR CUTTING VEGETABLES INTO STRIPS Filed Dec. 12, 1950 4 Sheets-$heet 3 CLARENCE H. BROWN 55 27 3 CLARENCE vl g ATTORNEY May 4, 1954 C. A. BROWN ETAL MACHINE FOR CUTTING VEGETABLES INTO STRIPS Filed Dec. 12. 1950 4 $heets-Sheet.4

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ATTORNEY Patented May 4, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MACHINE FOR CUTTING VEGETABLESINTO STRIPS {llarence A. Brown and Clarence N. Brown, Wabash, Ind.

Application December 12, 1950, Serial N 0. 200,348

8 1 Claims.

This invention relates to a vegetable cutting machine. More specifically, it relates .to-amachine for cutting a vegetable, such as a potato into numerous chips, which have the form of a rectangular parallelepiped, but having the four oblong faces corrugated instead of planar.

We are'aware that a number of other machines have been patented for performing a similar task. For instance, the patent to Love 2,088,298, July '27, 1937, discloses in Figure 7 a potato of substantially the form produced by our-machine.

Further, the patent to Young 2,303,595, issued December 1,. 1942, discloses the broad structure of our machine. 7

It is an object of our invention to produce a power operated device suitable for use in hotels, restaurants, institutions and other fcodprepar ing establishments in which a supply of the yegetables to scout maybe placed and which will then proceed to out one vegetable at atirce into the chips.

It is another object of our invention to provide a machine which will out the vegetables squarely 'so that'the chips will be uniform and will have a substantially square cross=section rather than a diamond shaped section.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for preventing the vegetablefrorn rolling or coming apart after the first cutting operation has been performed.

Yet another object of the invention'is to provide means for readily removing the cutting blades and rams for cleaning, etc.

A further object of the invention is to provide 'a self-contained machine which is totally enclosed except for the iced hopper.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a discharge chute for the cut vegetables which also serves as a closure'for the housing.

These and other objects will become apparent from a study of the drawings which are attached hereto, made a part hereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine showing the general construction.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the machine A viewed from the right of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an enlarged side elevation with parts in section showing the knife or blade holders, rams and the vegetable holding mechanism.

Figure 4 is a front elevation of the vertical 'bla'de holder with the blades in place.

Figure 5 is an elevation of the holder viewed from the right of Figure 4'.

Figure 6- is a" front elevation of the horizontal blade holder.

Figure 7 is an elevation of the holder of Figure 6 viewed from the right thereof.

Figure 8 is an: end view of the bottom plate viewed from the left in Figure 3.

Figure 9 is atop, plan view of the bottom plate.

fixed to the ends of the knife blades 59.

Figure lll is a side elevation of a side plate. Figure 11 is an elevation of the back plate viewed from the right in Figure 3.

Frame and cylinder construction Referring to the drawings, the numeral l refers generally to a frame which is made up of two longitudinal angles 3, which are joined by transverse angles 5 to form a base. A vertical angle post 7 rises from each of the four corners of the base and each pair is connected by horizontal square tubes '9- and H which run parallel to angles}. The posts extend abovethe level of the upper tubes ll.

Mounted on top of the tubes l 2. (Figs. 1, 2, Sand 9) isxa bottom plate l3 which isformed withza shallow V-shaped channel; It bordered by flanges [6 which rest upon the tubes. The plate tenninates at its inner end in a pair of horizontal pads is for a purpose to-bedesoribed.

Apair of side plates ll (Fig. 10) are formed to becomplementary and have lateral flanges it which restupon the bottom plate flanges It and together with which they are bolted to thetubes The side plates have portions 2i whichextend horizontally, parallel to the V-channel and are provided with horizontal guide slots 23 whichare vformed with enlarged openings 25 at the outer ends.

The side plates-also have vertical extensionsfl formed at theirinner ends. These extensions are provided with vertical guide slots 29 which are enlarged at both ends, at .3 I.

A vertical channel 33 is formed adjacent the edge of the extension'llnearest the portion 2-! on each plate and a horizontal channel 35 is also formed at the bottom of the extension forthe reception of the blade holders, as will be described. A slot 36 extends in from the top of channel 35 of one of the side plates.

A back plate 37. is mounted between the side plates by means of suitable screw fasteners 39.

Knife holders a purpose to be described.

The blade holder just described is slidably mounted in the groove33-and rests on the pads [5 of the bottom plate. A catch 5t is: mounted on one of the side plates I! and engages a pin 56 on the holder which extends through the slot 36 to hold the blade holder in place.

The horizontal blade holder is shown in Figures 3, 6 and 7, is of similar construction having a rectangular block 55, extensions and knife blades 59 which are concaved at El. In addition, the extensions are tied together by a bar 63 which is only half the depth of the blade. This bar underlies the pads I5 as shown in Figure 3. This blade holder slides into the grooves in the side plates and abuts on the end of the bottom plate, which positions it. A catch similar to 54 keeps the blade holder in position by engaging pin 60.

It should be noted that the concavity of the blades 59 forms in effect an extension of the V-channel of the bottom plate.

Ram construction The side plates and the bottom plate define a channel having a V-bottom and vertical sides and a ram 65 having an outline which fits snugly, but slidably in this channel, is mounted therein. The ram is preferably in the form of a hollow casting having a front side and bottom walls, as shown in Figure 3. The front wall as well as the portions of the side walls adjacent thereto are slotted transversely at 6'! to form a plurality of parallel pusher bars 69 which lie above and below the knife blades 49 and serve to push the vegetables entirely through the knives so that they will rest upon the knives 59 for the second out.

A horizontal slot II is formed in each side wall of the ram at the outer end thereof and in alignment with the guide slots 23. A pair of bars 13 extends between the side walls, one above and the other below the slots I I.

Aligned holes I5 are formed in the bars and a shouldered pin 1'! is slidably mounted therein to connect the ram to the actuating bar 19 which is slidably mounted in the guides 23. The bar is confined between the closed end of the slots II and the pin.

A shutter plate 8I is mounted on the top of the piston or ram 65 and extends back over the casting, and pin, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, to serve as a closure for the hopper 83, to be later described.

A ram 85 having a rectangular transverse section is mounted for sliding in the tube formed by the side plates El, back plate 3'! and the vertical blade holder 41. It comprises a hollow casting which is slotted transversely at 8'! to form bars 89 which serve to push the vegetables through the horizontal blade holder 55.

The ram has notches 9! formed therein for the reception of the actuating bar 93 which is slidably mounted in the guides 29.

Support mechanism As shown, particularly in Figure 3, the back plate 31 is formed with a rectangular opening 95 and a pair of clamps 91 are fixed to the exterior of the plate adjacent of the opening. A shaft 99 is mounted on the clamps and extends transversely of the opening. A support IIlI made of sheet metal and bent into a V-shape has one edge notched and the resulting ears formed into cylindrical bearings I83 which are pivotally mounted on the shaft. The bottom leg I05 of the support is substantially horizontal whereas the other leg I01 inclines upwardly and toward the shaft.

A spring I09 is mounted on the shaft and bears on the leg I01 and on the back plate so as to urge the support inwardly to the Figure 3 position, in which it lies in the path of the vegetable passing through knives 49 and also into the path of the ram 85. Its purpose is to hold the vegetable against rolling until the ram engages it to assist in producing rectangular chips. The ram moves the support out of its path as it descends.

Driving mechanism A reduction gear in head motor III, which is provided with a suitable switch (not shown) is mounted on the base of the frame I and the output shaft H3 carries a sprocket H5 which, by means of a chain iI'I, drives sprockets H9 and IZI, mounted on shafts I23 and I25, respectively.

Shaft I23 is mounted in bearings I2! supported on tubes 9 while shaft I25 is mounted in bearings I29 supported on posts 1.

Sprocket II9 has fixed to it a crank arm I3I which is pivotally connected to one end of a link I33, the other end of which is connected to one end of the actuating bar 93. It will be seen from Figure 2 that the shaft 523 extends across the frame and carries a crank I35 and link I 31 which are connected to the other end of the actuating bar 93.

Sprocket I2I has fixed to it a crank I39 which is pivotally connected to one end of a link MI, the other end of which is connected to one end of the actuating bar I9. It will be seen from Figure 2 that the shaft extends across the frame and carries a crank I43 and link 545 which are connected to the other end of the actuating bar 19.

The cranks ISI and I39 are timed so that the ram E55 completes its stroke before the ram 85 reaches the level of the ram 65 as is clearly shown in Figure 1. The cranks are kept in time by the chain and sprocket drive.

Housings A front and a rear sheet metal housing I5I, I53 are suitably attached to the frame I and side housings (not shown) are carried by I5I and I53 in any suitable manner.

Hinges I55, fixed to the top of the back plate I53, support the top cover plate I51 so that it may be swung away from its position over the ram 85 and blade holder 6I to permit access thereto.

The hopper 83 is set loosely into position over the horizontal trough and has a sloping bottom I6! which directs the vegetables toward the plate 8I so that they cannot fall behind the ram 65. The hopper is supported by a flange 163 which rests on the cover I51, the posts 'I and the other housings. When the hopper is lifted from its position, the trough and ram are exposed.

A chute IE5 is fixed to the rear posts I and underlies the horizontal knife holder so as to receive the finished vegetables therefrom. An extension chute IE1 is pivotally mounted at I69 so as to fold up within the housing. A door I'II is pivotally mounted at I13 and may be raised to give access to the chute I51 which may be then extended to discharge the product into a suitable vessel. Suitable means (not shown) may be used to hold the door open. The door also gives access to the horizontal knife holder.

Operation The operator of the machine will fill the hopper 83 with the vegetable to be out up and will start the motor III.

acme

If we assume that the parts occupy the positionsshown in Figure'l, the rotation of sprockets H5, H9 and i2! is counterclockwise,-as indicated by the arrow on 1 id. The crank 13! will pull the link :33 downwardly and move the ram 35 toward the horizontal knife holder, while the cranks 139, 43 oscillate the links Ml, M5 quicklyin a clockwise direction to withdraw 'the'ramtfi from the vertical knife holder 46.

The shutter plate 8| is withdrawn from the bottom of the hopper 83 by the ram -65 and a vegetable will drop into the trough l4 of the bottom of plate i 3. Since the trough is V-shaped, the vegetable will tend to occupy a centralposition therein.

As the links I33 and I reach the limit of their respective strokes, the direction of travel of the rams will be reversed and the vegetable which was deposited in the trough will be forcedinto the knives it. The pusher bars 69 will first enter the spaces between the knives at the sides thereof and will progressively enter these spaces because 'of the concave construction of the blades. This concavity also tends to center the vegetable on the knives.

As the ram advances to the limit of its inward stroke, the vegetable is forced through the knives and is cut into horizontal slices which are corrugated, the axes of the corrugations extending in the direction of motion of the vegetable.

As the vegetable passes through the knives 49 it passes on to the knives 59 and since it was substantially centered in the trough, it will be also substantially centered the concavity of the knives 59 so that it will not tend to roll. As the vegetable is positioned on the knives 59, the support hit is deflected by it against the action of the spring its. This support also assists in holding the vegetable in proper position so that when the ram 85 descends, the vegetable will be forced into the knives in a direction which is perpendicular to the planes of the slices first formed. This insures that the chips have a rectangular cross-section.

The ram 35 forces the cut vegetable through the knives 5S and into the trough 85 from which it passes down the extension trough I67 into a suitable vessel, not shown.

The knife blade i3 is provided to out large vegetables as they drop in ront of the horizontal ram,

'85 descends, the support [ill is moved by the ram out of the path of the ram.

When it is desired to clean the machine, it is necessary merely to remove the hopper, which is held in place by gravity and to swing the cover l5! about hinge 55, out of the way. This "exposes the entire upper portion of the machine.

To remove the ram 55, the motor is run'until the ram occupies its fully withdrawn position. The pin H is removed and the ram is movedtoward the knives far enough to disengage the bar 19 from the slots ll whereupon the ram may be 7 lifted out of the trough. The vertical knife holder 4! may be lifted out of themachine.

The ram 85 may now'be removed bym'oving it assembled by reversing the process 'just' described.

The enlargements 25 and '3! permit the bars to be withdrawn from'the side plates without completely disassembling of bearing structures'at the'ends of the bars.

It is obvious that various changes may be made in the form, structure and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, applicants do not desire to be limited to the specific embodiment disclosed herein primarily for purposes of illustration; but instead, they desire protection falling fairly within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim to be new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United Statesis:

1. A machine for cutting vegetables comprising a bottom plate having a wide, shallow, V-shaped, longitudinal groove therein, a side plateextending upwardly on either side thereof to-fcrm a trough, a knife holder disposed transversely of the trough at one end thereof, knives mounted in said holder, a ram slidably mounted in-the trough and having side and bottom walls conforming to and having continuous contact with the walls of the trough, a plurality of pusher bars formed on the front face of the ram, adapted to enter the spaces between the knives, means for reciprocating said ram, a second knife holder disposed on the side of the first holder opposite the ram, said second holder having a plurality of knives therein, said knives being concaved downwardly to form a trough which is aligned with the groove of said first mentioned trough and at substantially the same horizontal level.

2. A machine for cutting vegetables comprising a bottom plate having a wide, shallow, V-shaped, longitudinal groove therein, a side plate extending upwardly on either side thereof to forma trough, a knife holder disposed transverselyof the trough at one end thereof, knives mounted in said holder, a ram slidably mounted in'the trough and having side and bottom walls conformin to and having continuous contact with the walls of the trough, a plurality of pusher bars formed on the front face of the ram, adapted to enter the spaces betwen the knives, means for reciprocating'said ram, a second knife holder disposed on the side of the first holder opposite the ram and'at a level to receive the vegetable as it is passed through the first mentioned knives and a support disposed above the second holder for yieldably engaging and supporting the vegetable against movement after it is passed through said first mentioned knives, said second knives being concaved downwardly to form a trough which is aligned with the groove of the first mentioned trough and at substantially the-same horizontal level.

3. A machine for cutting vegetables comprising a bottom plate, a side plate extending u wardly on either side thereof to form a trough, a knife holder disposed transversely of the trough atone end thereof, knives mounted in said holder, a ram slidably mounted in the trough, a plurality of pusher bars formed on the front face of the ram, adapted to enter the'spaces betweenthe knives, means for reciprocating said ram, a second knife holder disposed on the side of the first holder opposite the ram and at, a level to receive the vegetable as it is passed through the first mentioned knives and a support disposed above the second holder for yieldably engaging and supporting the vegetable against movement after it i passed through said first mentioned knives, said support comprising a V-shaped sheet member, means for pivotally mounting said member at its upper end and resilient means for urging it toward said first holder and for holding it in position over the second holder.

4. A machine for cutting vegetables comprising a bottom plate, a side plate extending upwardly on either side thereof to form a trough, a knife holder disposed transversely of the trough at one end thereof, knives mounted in said holder, a ram slidably mounted in the trough,a plurality of pusher bars formed on the front face of the ram, adapted to enter the spaces between the knives, means for reciprocatin said ram, a second knife holder disposed on the side of the first holder opposite the ram and at a level to receive the vegetable as it is passed through the first mentioned knives and a support disposed above the second holder for yieldably engaging and supporting the vegetable against movement after it is passed through said first mentioned knives, said support comprising a V-shaped sheet member, means for pivotally mounting said member at its upper end with its apex directed toward the first holder and resilient means for urging it toward said first holder and for holding it in position over the second holder.

5. A machine for cutting vegetables comprising a bottom plate, a side plate extending upwardly on either side thereof to form a trough, a knife holder disposed transversely of the trough at one end thereof, a ram slidably mounted in the trough, a plurality of pusher bars formed on the front face of the ram, adapted to enter the spaces between the knives, means for reciprocating said ram, a second knife holder disposed on the side of the first holder opposite the ram and at a level to receive the vegetable as it is passed through said first knives, a back plate disposed, in substantially parallel, spaced relation to the first holder, an opening formed in the back plate, a support comprising a strip of metal, means for pivotally mounting the strip, by one edge, in the opening, yieldable means for pivoting the strip toward the first holder and extending it over the knives of the second holder, into the path of the vegetable as it is passed through the former, said support serving to hold the vegetable against movement after it has passed the first holder.

6. A machine for cutting vegetables comprising a bottom plate, a side plate extending upwardly on either sid thereof to form a trough, a knife holder disposed transversely of the trough at one end thereof, knives mounted in said holder, a ram slidably mounted in the trough, a plurality of pusher bars formed on the front face of the ram, adapted to enter the spaces between the knives, mean for reciprocating said ram, 2. second knife holder disposed on the side of the first holder opposite the ram and at a level to receive the vegetable as it is passed through said first knives, a back plate disposed in substantially parallel, spaced relation to the first holder, an opening formed in the back plate, a support comprising a strip of metal, means for pivotally mounting the strip, by one edge, in the opening, yieldable means for pivoting the strip toward the first holder and extending it over the knives of the second, into the path of the vegetable as it is passed through the former, said support serving to hold the vegetable against movement after it has passed the first holder, a second ram slidably mounted between said first holder and the back plate, for movement, toward and from said second holder, said ram serving to displace said support into said opening and being provided with pusher bars for forcing the vegetable through the second mentioned blades.

7. A machine for cutting vegetables comprising a trough, a knife holder having a plurality of knives mounted therein, disposed transversely of the trough, a ram slidably mounted in the trough and having pusher means for forcing a vegetable through the knives, an actuating bar disposed transversely of the trough and ram, said ram having bar receiving slots therein which are open at one end, a pair of struts transversely spanning the ram, one disposed on either side of said slots and adjacent the open ends thereof, aligned, central openings in said struts and a pin removably mounted in said openings and extending into the path of the bar to prevent its withdrawal from the slots.

8. A machine for cutting vegetables comprising a trough, a knife holder havin a plurality of knives mounted therein, disposed transversely of the trough and removably mounted in grooves formed in the side walls of the trough, a ram slidably mounted in the trough and having pusher means for forcing a vegetable through the knives, an actuating bar disposed transversely of the trough and ram, said ram having bar receiving slots therein which are open at one end, a pair of struts transversely spanning the ram, one disposed on either side of said slots and adjacent the open ends thereof, aligned, central openings in said struts and a pin removably mounted in said openings and extending into the path of the bar to prevent its withdrawal from the slots, a back plate disposed in parallel, spaced relation to said holder, said plate and holder defining a guideway for a second ram, a second actuating bar disposed substantially parallel to the plate for actuating the second ram, slots formed in the second ram, having an open end adjacent the back plate and adapted to receive the second bar, said second ram being held in engagement with said bar by said holder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 57,111 Forschner Aug. 14, 1866 125,536 Brunjes Apr. 9, 1872 810,998 Thomas Jan. 30, 1906 1,337,968 Schroeder Apr. 20, 1920 1,422,731 Beucler July 11, 1922 1,662,759 Pollan Mar. 13, 1928 2,120,375 Shaver June 14, 1938 2,224,655 Miller Dec. 10, 1940 2,283,029 Bakewell May 12, 1942 2,303,595 Young Dec. 1, 1942 2,353,607 Young July 11, 1944 2,497,289 Bloomfield Feb. 14, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 134,008 Great Britain Oct. 21, 1919 197,450 Great Britain May 17, 1923 

